Ife-Ile Afro-Cuban Dance Festival, Origami Everglades, Reading Queer Literary Festival, PageSlayers Summer Camp, N8tive Reel Cinema Festival are all winners of a 2016 Knight Arts Challenge, a grant awarded to any one with an idea that brings South Florida together through the arts.

A project of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Knight Arts Challenge is accepting ideas through April 28.

“The Knight Arts Challenge is an opportunity for everyone to pursue his or her artistic dreams,” said Victoria Rogers, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation. “We want hear your big ideas that can help inspire, reflect, and engage your community.”

Applying is easy. All it takes is 150 words to fill out the initial application, which will be available at knightarts.org through April 28 and is deliberately designed to be user-friendly to encourage a wide range of applicants.

There are only three rules for submissions:
1) The idea must be about the arts.
2) The project must take place in or benefit South Florida.
3) The grant recipients must find funds to match Knight’s commitment.

Many previous Knight Arts Challenge winners have been small, grassroots efforts that reflect South Florida and its many cultures. They include the recently launched Nu Deco Ensemble, which aims to be a 21st century orchestra for Miami; MicroTheater Miami, which adapts an idea from Madrid by offering short plays in shipping containers; in addition to funding to engage the public in creating a major public art project in Opa-locka.

Over the past decade, more than 300 projects have received $30 million in funding. The approach is two-pronged: Knight Foundation aims to open up institutions to more South Floridians with large grants, while the Arts Challenge ensures that smaller, grassroots efforts fuel and refresh the arts scene.

For Knight Arts Challenge updates, follow #knightarts and @knightfdn on Twitter and Instagram, and Knight Foundation on Facebook.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more information, visit knightarts.org